Google Starts Refunding Rogue Child IAPs in the US

Google has started telling US Android users they're in line for a potential refund for any unauthorised in-app purchases that may have been made by their kids in the past, as the tech giant looks to meet the demands of US consumer regulator the FTC.

The FTC has asked Google to set aside a minimum of $19m (£12m) to pay to aggrieved users, with anyone who feels they were unfairly mugged by a child accessing their account and buying stuff without permission able to request in-app purchase refunds.

Google's refund email sets out the criteria, telling Android users: "Our records show that your account was previously charged for in-app purchases. If any of those charges were the result of unauthorized purchases by a minor between March 1, 2011, and November 18, 2014, and you haven’t already received a refund for those charges, you might be eligible for a refund." [9to5Google]